Full Moon
by TheWORLDishers
Summary: It seemed some things do change when you leave them behind, no matter the situation.He wasn't the same anymore, the friend I left behind seemed to have disappeared and stayed in its element of the past. oc/oc fic btw
1. AN

I do not own any of the twilight characters.

The language of some of the Native American is Cherokee, not quilieute or makah.

The information of the olmecs is not true and I'm not sure if they're even real so bare with me. The only characters I own are the ones I made up.


	2. Awakening arrival

"Hurry up Jennifer, your going to miss your flight!" Regina, my mom, yelled. Regina was a tall, thin woman. She had short cropped hair that hung to her chin. Her prominent cheekbones complimented her narrow nose that aligned perfectly under her bronze skin. Her gray framed glasses, which were at the rim of her nose, hid her glazed onyx eyes that held lashes that were microscopic. "God, Jennifer, could you move any slower." Her hand grabbed my unoccupied one, pulling me forward. "We have to find your gate….Oh God if you miss your flight Peter will never let me hear the end of it…" Regina rambled on as she searched frantically for the gate.

"Mom," She was walking faster than ever and the tiredness hadn't worn off yet. "Mom!" I said louder, she turned waiting eagerly for my request. "Mom, we passed the gate ten minutes ago." I slurred heavily trying to annunciate every word correctly. Her face shriveled in confusion as she watched me, her expression changed to horror when it finally sunk in. "Why didn't you say anything?" she asked in annoyance.

"I was trying to say something but you just dragged me around like a race horse." Her eyes narrowed as she pursed her lips. "Well?" she asked.

"Well what?"

"Are you going to just stand there or are you going to lead the way?" I turned and sighed, making my way towards the direction the gate was located. After about two minutes of roaming around we finally made it to the right gate.

"Mom, I need my ticket." She hesitated trying to remember where she had placed it. Her eyes grew frenetic as she searched her pockets for the airplane ticket.

Afraid that she would mentally combust I quickly reminded her that it was located in her purse. She pulled the long narrow ticket out and great fully released it in my hand. I began to move towards the boarding gate when she called out to me, I turned waiting for her. She moved briskly and stopped while placing her hands on my shoulders. I smiled genuinely and hugged her. I pulled away to leave for my flight, her hands were still grasping my shoulders. "Jen, wait!"

"Mom I have to go, I'll miss my flight"

"Just wait, Jen." We stood gazing at each other, trying desperately to make our memory succumb to our appearances. I wanted to remember every detail of her and embed it into my memory. Her dark eyes, her black disheveled hair, and her cheeky grin that I've learned I've inherited. "You call me when you get there, ok, and tell Peter to make sure he has your transcripts for your school ready." She released her grip on my shoulders and pushed me towards the boarding gate.

"Ok, ok, I get it and I'll call you as soon as I land." I yelled as I began running towards the flight attendant. I stopped, winded, and handed her my boarding pass. I climbed onto the plane and headed towards my seat. I placed my heavy baggage in the upper compartment and held on to my smaller bag that claimed my much needed necessities. I sat in the middle and lay back restlessly while lazily buckling my seatbelt. I closed my eyes, content, and daydreamed about home.

I haven't been home in a year. Peter wasn't too happy about the idea of me leaving, but my mother was euphoric. She was excited that I was going to travel around the globe with her for a year. I was eager to go; the thought of seeing new things and learning a whole new culture would've been a fun experience for me. I was sad to leave all my things behind but I felt better when Regina reminded me that all those things would be there when I got back.

Peter will be so happy to see me and Mr. Phyllis, my dog, will be exuberant. Mr. Phyllis is a 4 year old peppered schnauzer. He was a small depressed dog that would mope around if I wasn't there. I was surprised that he was still breathing when Peter told me he was trudging around the house. I miss the nights I would lay in my bed and Mr. Phyllis would jump in with me and snuggle close to my head. I took in a content breath, my room, I missed it so much. The off white colored walls, even if most house's walls were painted off white, it wasn't the same. The twin sized bed pushed up against the wall with a small elevated window above it. I remember using that small window as my escape route at night when Peter was unconscious.

I missed the beach where I would go to think. I could remember the beach like I was standing there at this exact moment. Its water was dark gray, even in the sunlight, white-capped and heaving to the gray, rocky shore. Islands rose out of the steel harbor waters with sheer cliff sides. The beach had only a thin border of actual sand at the water's edge treading into millions of large, smooth stones that looked uniformly gray at a distance, but close up were every shade a stone could be: turquoise, magenta, ivory, teal, lavender. The tide line was strewn with driftwood trees, bleached bone white in the salt waves, some piled together against the edge of the forest fringe. I could remember the brisk wind nipping at my cheeks, giving me the essence of home.

I drifted slowly off to sleep as I reminisced.

It was a six hour flight from Toronto to Seattle, an hour flight from Seattle to Port Angles, then an hour drive home to La Push. Peter was smiling ear to ear talking to me about whatever came to mind. He wanted to know about everything that happened during my experience traveling, he even wanted to know how I spent my birthday. I told him that I celebrated it with a Mexican heritage.

"But your not even Mexican, your native American, remember." He said teasingly.

"Yeah dad I know, I just wanted to experience it differently. Ya know, with all the different cultural experiences you think people want the same thing?"

"What are you talking about? Quileutte and Makah are two different types of Native American heritages, therefore it isn't the same."

"Yeah, ok, sure dad." I said snorting at his sardonic humor.

My father was full blooded Quileutte while my mother was a native of the Makah tribe. Thus leaving me to be the hybrid of the two, I had received my round nose and strong cheekbones from my father, my hair was wavy from my mothers side and I had inherited my full lips and hazel eyes from my grandmother Ivory. I was proud of my heritage and I learned to become open minded with the diversity of other cultures that surrounded mine.

Peter was never big on tradition he just liked to live on the rez because it was close to grandma Ivory. My grandmother on the other hand was very serious when it came to tradition and heritage. She was all about the old legends and myths that had been handed down from generation to generation. When I was a child she would tell me old stories that I would only imagine in my mind, to me, at that age, it was everything to me.

When I grew older I learned to think as the legends and myths as tribal fairytales.

The trees were a green blur as we drove onto the rez. We passed the small houses of La Push, driving onto a gravel driveway towards a small house on the edge of the forest. I flashed my cheeky grin as the house came into a clear view. When the car halted to a stop I quickly unlocked the door and rushed towards the house. I jammed the key in and twisted the steel knob clockwise while thrusting the beige door open. With all the excitement I had manage to get the door open in record time. I missed the small space so much. "Hey! Your not gonna help get any of these bags?" I turned to see Peter struggling with two large suitcases as he tried moving through the thresh hold. I hurried towards him as I grabbed the smaller of the two suitcases.

I grunted as I hauled the suitcase into my small room. I laid the suitcase down and plopped on my bed uselessly. A hard brick felt like it collided with my back as a loud yelp came from my bed. I jumped up alarmingly backing towards my door. "God Jen have you put on weight or something?" I relaxed as I realized who the voice belonged to. "Talin what the heck are you doing in my bed?" he stood up and stretched, cracking his joints.

"Waiting for you, I heard your dad over talking with my mom telling her that you're coming back in town today, so I decided to come over and wait. What took you so long?"

"You snuck in through my window to come see me, and you fell asleep in my bed. That bed was probably made neatly up until you ruined it this morning."

"Relax; I've been sleeping in it since you left."

I gaped at him in astonishment

"Geesh Jen, it's not like I haven't slept in your bed before, I slept in your bed all the time when you were here, and I don't see what the difference is."

"The difference is, is that I wasn't here, and why didn't you just sleep in your own bed?"

"Jen, would ya keep it down. Peter doesn't know I'm here."

"Yeah, I can see that," I said bitterly, "let me finish unpacking and then I'll meet you at your house. Ok?"

"That's my girl," he said smiling and turning to climb through the window, he turned back to me before fully disappearing, "Hey, before you come over, can you bring some chips over? We kinda ran out last night?"

"Sure thing Tal,"

"Thanks Jen, you're the best."

"What are best friends for?" He disappeared through the frame. I was laughing at the fact that my best friend was caught in my bed, but not forgetting about the fact that he ignored my last question. What was Talin doing sleeping in my bed?

I had finished unpacking shortly after Talin had left. I didn't feel like heading over to his house so soon so I gradually took my time cooking and cleaning while also being distracted by the television. Talin had called twice, the first demanding what was taking me so long and the second informing me that others would be joining us at his place. I didn't bother asking who it would be joining us. I was sure it would be some of Talin's friends that I never met or some distant family members that liked to hang at his house. There was always someone at Talin's house, whether it was family or friends, there was always someone there.

I made my way for the kitchen as I grabbed the chips and placed the key securely in my pocket. I headed towards the door and called out a goodbye to Peter. He poked his head from around the corner. "Where are ya headed?"

"Over to Talin's, why did you need something?"

"No, but we were going to head over to grandma Ivory's later."

"Well can't I just meet you over there later?" he paused hesitating, so I quickly retaliated, "I can ask Ms. Sharon to give me a ride over there, I'm sure she wont mind."

"Ok, be at grandma Ivory's at six, she misses you and she'd be expecting you."

"Ok, I'll be there," I slowly began retreating towards the door, "I'll tell Ms. Sharon you said hi." I grabbed hold of the steel knob, opened the door and stepped out of the house, closing the door behind me. The cold air nipped at my cheeks and I shivered remembering that I had left my jacket in the house. I didn't want to go back in the house and have Peter interrogate me if I had a ride or not to grandma's house. I started off towards the direction to Talin's; his house wasn't that far, it was just half a mile off the main road.

I reached his house after twenty minutes, happily walking towards the side, where his window was located. I stopped when I found it; I shoved the frame up far enough so that I was able to fit. I threw the chips in first then heaved my upper part of the body through. I had gotten my leg caught on the broken window frame; my jeans had hooked onto the side of the frame, where a piece was jutting out from the side. I struggled uselessly as I moved my leg, only making it harder for me to get my pants leg uncaught. I heard someone chuckle, I looked up to find Talin standing by the door of his room. He leaned back on the wall and crossed his arms.

"Need some help?" I nodded my head stiffly; he moved from off of the wall and started towards me. He leaned over my body and reached for my legs shaking his head. "What's so funny?"

"I just find it very humorous as to how you're the only person I know who could end up in a situation like this." The floor collided with my face as he unhooked my pants leg, leaving me feeling lightheaded and pained. I struggled to sit up as Talin's hand grabbed my elbow and lifted me up. "That looked like it hurt." I steadied myself, placing my hand on his shoulder.

"No, of course it didn't hurt. The blood rushing to my head kinda made me a little lightheaded so I didn't really feel anything." I rubbed my head tenderly to take away the pain. He turned and gave me a skeptical look. I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes, "I was being sarcastic." He looked around searching the room, "Where are the chips?" I pointed towards the closet door; he spotted the chips and made his way for them. He picked up the bag and held it up. His long lanky arms reminded me of the statue of liberty as he waved the chips in the air. His look became disordered as he set the chips back down. "Dude, I said we're having friends over, this one bag is only enough for just one person."

"Hey, we're not your local super market so stop complainin." I picked the bag back up and opened the bag of chips. Before I was able to grab a chip the bag was snatched quickly out of my hand. "HEY!" I shouted, I reached for the bag as he held it above my head.

"We have to save these for our guest," he walked over and plopped down on his bed. "It's not like they're gonna have much to eat anyway." He popped a chip into his mouth and patted my head.

"No fair, your taller than me, and I brought them over so I'm obligated to have one of my own chips." He laughed as he placed another chip into his mouth. "I don't think so, you brought them over to _give_ to _me_, keyword being _give._ Besides you need to watch that little figure you've gotten from traveling, we wouldn't want to see you lose that now would we?"

"Shut up." I smacked my hand on the back of his head as I grabbed the chips out of his hands. I was so busy earlier with unpacking I hadn't realized how much Talin had changed over the past year. He no longer held the boyish tendencies that were plagued on him a year ago. The skin on his face seemed relaxed around the jaw line and edges of his mouth. His features no longer showed the childish innocence it once detained. He wasn't the short gaunt boy I expected to see, he was now tall and lean. The skin around his arms and legs were now tightened to put definition into his muscles. The braces he wore were now removed, making his smile much more reproachable. It seemed some things do change when you leave them behind, no matter the situation.

He wasn't the same anymore, the Talin I left behind seemed to have disappeared and stayed in its element of the past.

"Hey, do ya hear me?" I was so entranced in my thoughts that I dropped the bag of chips spilling all over the floor. "God Jen you're making a mess on my rug." I looked down confused and realized what I'd done. "I'm not cleaning that up and someone's got to because if my mom sees that she's gonna kill me. Remember what happened last time?" I got down to clean the mess as I listened to Talin rant about our troublesome times.

For the past 3 hours Talin and I spent the time telling stories of childhood times. A few of his friends stopped by but left when the fateful news was told that there weren't any snacks. I was having so much fun spending time with Talin that I hadn't noticed the time. When the headlights of a car pulled up I grasped the fact that I was late. I left frantically as I said my goodbyes to Talin, not giving an elucidation of why I had to leave.

By the time I reached grandma Ivory's it was 8:30. Peter was furious with me, but luckily grandma Ivory explained to Peter how hard it was to get around without a car. Peter sought sense into the explanation and let me off with a stern look. I couldn't help myself but to hug her. I missed her; I engulfed myself in her smell as it reminded me of the sea breeze. Her elongated hair was parted in the middle and separated by two braids that lay at her shoulders.

Her face reminded me of molded clay after it had been set out in the sun to dry. The cracks in the clay showing its years of work, creating its own story as the lines etch into an unspoken word. Her eyes squinted as she smiled, showing the years of laugh lines. "U-we-tsia-geya vhn-ai svn-oyi, my little gem, how are you?"

"I'm great now that I've finally seen you." I pulled her in for another hug and leaned into her ear. "Thanks for helping me with my dad." I whispered. She pulled back, "its ok my little gem, I've mothered your father, and I know how my little u-wet-tsi can be. Now, you remember not to be late next time or else you'd have to deal with your father yourself. Is that understood?" I obediently nodded. When she could see that I understood she ushered me towards the back door. "I've been hoping you wouldn't mind sharing some of your traveling experiences."

I smiled lightly as we headed towards the back patio. I exited the house and searched for a seat. I found a wooden stool that lay by the fire pit and sat across the stand, my grandmother grabbed a stool and sat on the opposite side. "So tell me, what has Regina been teaching you out there in the world?"

"I wouldn't say I've been learning from my mother, it seemed that it was more of the community that taught me. The different cultures were so fascinating." She smiled as she walked by the shrubs; she picked off pieces of the different plants and gathered them in her withered hands as she nodded, "Please tell me my gem, which was your favorite?"

"I think I liked the Olmec civilization more than anything. Their culture is so close to ours that it kind of surprised me, like their myths…"

"You mean legends my child; there is a big difference between a myth and a legend."

"Yes ma'am," I had forgotten that my grandmother didn't accept anything that went against her beliefs. She held up her hands, it held a burgundy root with a stem that traveled along the breaches of the herb. "Do you know what this is?" I shook my head slowly, "This will show you the difference between a legend and a myth my little gem." She crumpled the herb in her hand until it held small microscopic fibers of the root. She opened the fire pit; a faint breeze blew and feathered the pieces of the root into the furnace. The flames flickered across her face as she leaned onto the stand, "Now tell me more about the Olmecs and their stories my little gem."

"Well, they had this one story that was so close to ours that it kind of took me by surprise. It was like I was back home listening to grandpa tell me stories like he used to. You see the Olmec civilization flourished before the Maya, as the former provided the foundation for the structures and beliefs of many Mesoamerican nations. One of these structures was the calendar system which the Olmec developed. The belief system which practically all Mesoamerican nations would follow was the Olmec's polytheistic religion. Of the many gods that the Olmec worshiped, the principle god was the Earth god, who took form as a half-jaguar, half-serpent being. Because the jaguar appeared so often in their art, it is assumed that the Olmec worshipped the jaguar. This was part of their animistic religion, as they believed that the jaguar represented the Earth and the serpent represented water, which combined to symbolize life.

"The jaguar protected its people from the trouble and harm of a being that was a predator in its own nature. Its own instinct was to track and kill but it wasn't an animal, and neither was it human; you see it took form of a human being. It was a beautiful being, it was pale and cold but malicious and violent, and they were fast and strong. Their skin was tough and smooth as alabaster." I paused, waiting for my grandmother to respond but she only nodded her head towards the fire pit. I looked over and saw as the flames licked the opening of the furnace. The fire danced as a figure took in a form; shadows roamed around the inferno showing figures of an ancient being. I gasped as I saw the picture that resolved.

It was one of the predators that I had described, the jaguar facing it as it crouched ready to spring off of its hinges. "Finish telling me about this violent creature." I hesitated too startled by the outline in the furnace that stared back at me. The wind swept across my neck and I shivered afraid to look it in the eyes. The jaguar growled at the creature as it slowly erased its distance between itself and the prey. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked to see my grandmother watching me. "It is ok my little gem, it is only a memory from an elder of a distant tribe. Finish telling me." I faltered a little as I watched her. The flames flickered across her face as it showed the clay divulged the secrets that lay behind her eyes.

"Well they never knew what to call these creatures because they never seen these things before; what could you possibly name something that's hard as rock but cold as the ocean floor?" I watched as the jaguar serpent made its way towards the predator. Its teeth bared as it circled onto the creature with its animalistic tactics. "They believed that the chosen sons of their people were the only ones given the gift of the earth god, and that gift was to turn into the figure of the god itself." The jaguar serpent launched off its haunches towards the creature snapping at its neck, the creature swiftly moved to the side so fast that I wasn't even sure if it moved at all.

"The only problem was that when the jaguar's job was done the people would sacrifice them to their gods and the chosen sons would die willingly for them." This time when the jaguar serpent launched, it succeeded. Its pointed incisors planted into the crook of the creature's neck, ripping into its skin gracefully. The creature hissed as it clawed into the sides of the animal fighting for its undead life. Already, within a matter of seconds there was blood on the ground. Not from both of the beasts but only one. Someone was going to die, someone was going to lose this war, and I was afraid.

"You see my little gem, myths and legends are different, your tooth fairy and Santa clause is a myth, but this is a legend." Her voice was hard; she was no longer smiling as she watched me. I stared into her eyes as I tried to decode the answer behind them. "Its getting chilly out here lets go inside where its warmer. Now tell me U-we-tsia-geya vhn-ai svn-oyi, are you ready for school." I followed as she led the way back into her house, telling her my decision on the school I decided to attend. "What do you mean you'd rather go to a normal school, the school on the rez is a normal school?"

"Well I figured since I want to study other cultures, why not start now. At a regular school there are all types of different ethnicities. I don't want to just learn about my culture grandma, I want to expand my horizons on the American culture."

"You're stubborn just like your father. It amazes me sometimes how much you and him act alike." We spent the rest of the evening eating dinner and listening to stories of the Quiliette tribe. Through out the whole night I couldn't stop thinking of the domestic creature's cold gaze. Its eyes pierced into mine waiting for me as if it knew I was watching it. I couldn't help but wonder if grandmother Ivory was right, that the myths that we think aren't real are maybe true. That was the first night I dreamed of the predator and the jaguar serpent.


	3. False steps

"I still don't get why you're doing this?" Talin was practically jumping down my throat ever since I told him that I was transferring to a different school. "Ok, let me get this straight. You're transferring to Forks high school to learn about the different cultures that go to a public school, at which you can get from the school we're attending now?"

"Wrong. I'm not attending that school anymore since I'm already enrolled into Forks and no, you can't learn about different lifestyles if they're all the same." We had exactly two weeks left of our summer vacation and Talin was still trying to convince me that the school on the rez was no different than a regular public school. "I mean, it's not like you'll need me there. You have other friends that will help occupy you." He shook his head childishly, "It wont be the same." I shrugged as he placed his arm over my shoulders, he sighed. "Well, what about your friends? You know they'll miss you, they'll wonder where you went."

I snorted at his comment, "What friends? The only friend I have is you, and you'll be too busy with your other friends. If you did think I had any friends it was only because they were trying to get to you through me. Besides I'll be too busy this year with my research I won't have any time for anybody." Talin didn't say anything more on the subject of me enrolling in a new school. He just quietly sat watching me as I fiddled with my fingers.

"So." It was an awkward moment and I didn't know what else to do. I tried to make small talk to ease the tension in the air, I could feel it ever since I'd just admitted to Talin that he was the only reason I had any friends, if you could call them that. His brow was furrowed as he was in deep thought and I could only guess what he was thinking about. "Tell me what you're thinking?" He looked up disoriented as I broke his train of thought, "Huh?" I smiled at his infantile look, "I said what are you thinking about?"

He chuckled, "As if you didn't already know."

"Don't tell me you're still thinking about the stupid school thing again."

"I can't help it, it's our senior year and you're ditching me. We were supposed to be together the whole time. It's already bad enough that you left me for our junior year." He was pouting now, his head hung, he seemed such a fool for looking so childish. The boy I left a year ago seemed to have appeared. I placed my hand under his chin to lift his face to look at me, "You'll be alright."

He grimaced and smacked my hand away, "You keep saying that but it isn't true, I won't be alright. I was supposed to be alright when you left but it didn't happen." I was silent as he continued, "When you left, things changed." I stared, puzzled as to what he meant.

"If you mean by getting older and having more responsibilities then…"

"No, that's not what I meant jen."

I didn't understand what he was trying to say. Talin stood up off of my bed and walked towards the opposite wall to lean on. I ran my hand through my hair confused to what he was telling me. "Then what are you trying to say Talin? That _I_ changed?" I was trying to figure him out. He seemed afraid and annoyed altogether. He sighed heavily and shrugged. "I don't know jen. It seems like ever since you left people have been acting weird."

"What do you mean weird?"

He walked over and sprawled out on my bed, "You remember Sam from school, you know, the one who graduated a year and a half ago?"

"Yeah, didn't he go missing like two years ago when he was dating that Clearwater girl?"

"Yeah, well, lately things have been kinda strange."

"How?" I sat next to him on the bed.

"Well it actually started a little before you left, see when Sam came back he seemed different. Like he wasn't himself anymore, he didn't hang out with the same people; he started hanging around the council like he's one of the elders or something." Talin paused watching my reaction, "He's been going around town like he owns everything, telling people what to do. And he's not the only one either, that guy Jared seems to follow him around La Push like a golden retriever." I looked at him bemused, I laid down next to him, "Tal, they're just trying to be a good role model for the kids."

Talin rose up off of the bed as he threw his hand up in frustration, "That's not just it Jennifer." He yelled in annoyance, "When you left others started to follow him. Remember Paul?"

I nodded, "Yeah, don't you hang out with him?"

"Used to." He pointed out.

"What happened, you guys were so close?"

"Well last year we were fine, until one day he got real angry at that guy Jared, the one who follows Sam around. I thought they were gonna fight but instead Sam just pushed him into the woods where I couldn't see. He was missing for three weeks after that, and when he came back he was different. I mean he didn't just act different he looked different."

"What do you mean he looked different did he have bruises on him?"

Talin shook his head, "No, nothing like that, its just when he came back it was like he had a growth spurt. And I don't mean any small change I mean it was like he skipped puberty and went straight to being an adult, I wasn't even sure it was really him until I saw his face. Ever since that day I've tried to talk to him but he's just been avoiding me." I sighed as he fumed, "And what makes things even more bazaar is instead of speaking to me, he goes and follows Sam and Jared around. Doesn't that just sound kind of odd to you?" I just gave him an amused look and shook my head.

"That doesn't mean anything Talin, he probably just saw things Sam's way and now he's trying to become a good role model too."

"How can that be, Paul and Jared never even spoke to each other before the fight,"

"Things change."

Talin huffed frustrated, "Then how do you explain the abnormal growth spurt?"

I shrugged, "Genetics? It could be anything Tal, just let it go?"

"How can I let something go when it feels like it's getting worse? It seems like pretty soon he's gonna have a boat load of followers and I wont be one of em."

I laughed, "Yeah because Sam Uley, the Quileute native, has plans of taking over the world."

Tal's look hardened as he turned towards me, "Maybe not that Jen, but whatever it is I'm sure its something much bigger than that, and since we don't know yet we better be on our guard." I stood and walked towards my dresser to pull out clothes for tomorrow, "Tal, the guy is keeping kids out of trouble, I seriously doubt that has to do with anything dangerous."

"Yeah, well, whatever the guy is trying to do, I don't like it, and I'm going to find out what that is." Tal picked up his jacket and walked towards the door and paused, he hesitated and then he finally spoke, "You wanna go to the beach tomorrow?"

I looked at him trying to decipher what he was thinking, "Tal, what are you really trying to say?"

"Just stay clear of those guys okay, I don't want to lose another friend." And with that he left. I didn't know if I should've taken him seriously or not but it did make me wonder what was going on with him. I didn't want to stay around and ponder on that, instead I slipped on my jacket and headed towards the door.

I opened the door and yelled a goodbye to Peter and started down the gravel driveway towards the main road.

I wasn't sure as to where I was going I just headed east. I couldn't help but think of that night two weeks ago at grandma Ivory's. The way grandma ivory's eyes sparked in recognition towards the creature, it was like she knew something and she wanted me to figure it out. I've dreamed of the jaguar serpent and the malicious creature every night so far. It seemed over the past two weeks every dream was different, like it was trying to tell a fatal tale that was untold. Last night was the worst one; it was more of a nightmare than a dream. It seemed I was standing in place of the Jaguar Serpent. I knew the scene that was beginning to take place and I was afraid. Someone was going to die tonight, as it had been every night.

This time instead of me defending the jaguar serpent I was crying out for the creature. I didn't want it to die; I felt the need to protect it with my life against the jaguar serpent. I was sacrificing my life for something that could so easily take it itself, but instead it understood my cry and tried to defend me. It no longer seemed as a threat but more of an ally, the passion it held in its eyes helped me understand that, it too longed to live. As the jaguar serpent launched forward I lunged to protect this beautiful being, jumping in the way of the deadly vile, animal.

I knew before this dream was over that I was supposed to die, just like in all the other dreams, so I shouldn't have been surprised to feel the searing pain that ripped through my body. And that was it, which was how all my dreams ended, with me on the borderline of life and death.

"Hey! Watch out!" I stopped to see who was calling out to me, only to have fallen by being pushed into the ground. Someone's huge body had landed on me; they were heavy on top of my feminine one. A gruff voice spoke "You so cheated, she was in the way, rematch." I pushed forcefully to remove the large person off of me. "Oh, Sorry, are you okay?"

"I would be if you'd get off of me." My voice was distressed as I tried to speak.

"Oh yeah." He rose up and wiped the dirt off his pants, he stretched his hand out for leverage but I only ignored it. "Sorry about that." I stood up and removed the dirt out of my hair, smiling grimly, "Its ok, I'm still breathing."

He was tall and burly, his white t-shirt strained over his well developed chest, and he seemed gleefully conscious of it, his hair was so short it was almost a buzz. He shared the same traits as most Quileute natives on the reservation, bronzed skin tone and the grim brown eyes.

He chuckled and scratched the back of his head, "Yeah, I guess that's right." He looked me over and stuck out his hand, "I'm Quil."

I held back a laugh as I shook his hand, "Jennifer, Jennifer Will."

"Yeah, we went to the same school last year."

"Did I know you then?"

He shook his head, "Nah, I just remember you being Talin's friend, I was there at his house a couple weeks ago but I, uhhh, I kinda left."

I smirked, "Yeah because there weren't any snacks." It started to drizzle; I placed my hood on my head, turning away until when I heard his voice.

"So where are ya headed?"

I looked up the road and shrugged, "I don't know, I guess I was just walking."

"Oh," he nodded slowly; I sauntered away, holding my hood in place, "Well I guess I'll see you around Quil."

"Wait!" he ambled towards me, "You want to walk with me to the market? That's where I was headed earlier before I, uhh, you know."

"Well, I wasn't really headed any where." I started down the road again; the silence was inevitable, if it weren't for his heavy breathing I would have thought that I was alone. The silence was becoming uncomfortable, someone had to say something. He gulped in a large breath, "So."

"So," and it was quiet again. After another moment of suffering I had the decency to speak, "why were you in such a hurry earlier?"

He smiled; "I was racing my friend, Embry, It seems he likes to cheat, though" he said with a light scowl. I laughed at his sardonic humor. He glanced at me, "Why did you leave?"

I was taken aback by his question; I hadn't realized any one, except Talin, had noticed I left. "I was umm," I wasn't sure what to tell him, the truth or the cover story, "I wanted to learn more about people." Good decision, play it safe and use the cover story.

He grinned, "You could study people here."

I sighed as I faced him, "Why does everyone keep saying that? There's more that I can learn out there then I could in here." I hissed, my voice seemed to rise as I became slightly livid, "Its not like everyone here is different, everything is the same. It's nothing but a redundant lifestyle that I refuse to live."

"Hey, hey," he raised his hands in defense, "calm down, it was just a thought."

I looked away, staring straight forward. I was heated; I didn't want to speak to Quil anymore, instead we walked the rest of the way to the market in silence. I didn't understand why people always questioned my judgment; I didn't see the point of staying in one place. I wanted to travel the world learning of cultures and different life styles, the history of ethnicities, just like Regina. I didn't want to stay here I had to get away, just like Regina, just like my mother.

After twenty minutes we arrived at the market; before we entered the store, Quil grabbed my arm and pulled me aside, "Look Jennifer, I know we just met and I didn't give a good impression but I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to make you mad; I just asked the first thing that came to mind. I seem to have a problem with keeping some things to myself." He smiled timidly, "I really mean it, I want us to be friends and I don't want this to be the last thing you remember of me." He eyed me carefully,

I smiled and shook my head, "Its ok Quil, I've just been bothered about that by everyone lately, its fine." He beamed and reached for the door, holding it open, "After you."

Inside of the store we spotted his friend Embry standing by the counter trying to decide on a piece of candy. He walked over to him as I followed slowly behind him; I stopped a safe distance behind, unsure of what to do next. I decided that it was time for me to leave. I left them standing by the counter as I walked around the store.

I was in the chip aisle when Quil and his friend caught up with me.

"Hey, I was wondering where you went off to." I looked to see Quil heading my way, his friend trailing closely behind him. "This is my friend Embry," he pointed to a slender boy behind him. The boy was taller than Quil, his black hair was chin length and parted down the middle, the left side was tucked behind his ear while the right hung freely. "Hey Jennifer, I'm Embry, Embry Call, but you probably already figured that out, though." Embry smiled a shy smile and waved with one hand, which he then shoved in his back pocket of his jeans.

I smiled, "Yeah, it's nice to meet you too Embry." Quil nudged him in the ribs and smiled, causing Embry to blush. "Well I think I better go now."

"Where are you going?" it was Embry who called out to me this time. I didn't answer; Embry must have thought of it as an opportunity because he stepped from behind Quil. "I mean do you want to hangout with us? We were headed to my friend Jake's, and he's a really cool guy."

I hesitated, "I don't know, I don't want to be in the way."

"You wont, I mean, uhh, I'd, I mean _we'd_ keep you company." He looked hopeful as he watched me, waiting for my answer. I didn't think I was in the state of mind to visit anyone so I declined his offer. He stepped away from me, "Oh well, I guess I'll see you around then." His head hung as he refused to look at me, shoving his hands back into his pockets as he hid himself behind Quil. I grabbed the bag of chips as I said my goodbye, walking towards the counter to pay the cashier.

After I paid, I quickly left out of the market. I was so busy opening the chips I wasn't bothering to pay attention. I went a cool distance until my body slammed into something; I fell back on my butt, "Ughf." I looked around to find what I had walked into only to find a boy, no not a boy, a man standing in front of me. He was turned from me as I picked my self up, "Sorry," I muttered under my breath, not sure if he could hear me, but he only turned around.

I turned to leave trying to avoid his gaze; I didn't want him to see the embarrassment that showed on my face. I slipped around the side of an old beat up truck. My hood caught on to the rusted side mirror, jerking me to a stop. I dropped the chips to use both hands to free my jacket.

"Need some help?" a new voice spoke, in the reflection of the mirror I could see a looming figure standing over the truck. I paused as a familiar face watched me; I froze in recognition. I was immobile as he unhooked my hood, "You look like you could use it." I tensed when his hand released my jacket. Staring at the reflection I watched as he took a step back. "Uhh, thanks."

I didn't bother turning towards him as I slipped away. I was too stunned at the large male that helped break free of the tarnished mirror. I decided to just scurry away, leaving my chips on the ground, deciding that I didn't really want the chips in the first place. "Hey, you forgot your chips!" As the voice got closer I picked up my pace, when I reached the main road I figured running would get me home faster.

_I was afraid; I didn't know what to do, so my natural instinct was to run. He was in front of me in a flash. I didn't see if he used his hand or his foot, it was too fast. A crushing blow struck my chest. I felt myself flying backward, and then heard the crunch as my head crashed into the mirrors. The glass buckled, some of the pieces falling to the floor, shattering beside me. The pain poured through me; I knew this wasn't a dream, it was too vivid._

_I looked around disoriented, and saw him walking towards me. He was lean with a slightly muscular build. His light brown hair and regular features were nondescript. His eyes, almost onyx due to the red, though were completely still seemed the most vigilant. He looked so much like the vile creature that tried to kill the Jaguar Serpent, it was all so confusing. He walked slowly towards me, holding a recording camera in his hand._

_"That's a very nice effect," he said examining the mess of the glass. I ignored him, scrambling on my hands and knees, towards the emergency exit. He was over me at once, his foot stepping down hard on my leg. I heard the sickening snap before I felt it. But then I __**did **__feel it, and I couldn't hold back my scream of agony. I didn't understand what was going on, what was I doing here?_

_I twisted up to reach my leg and he was standing over me, smiling._

_"Would you like to rethink your request?" I didn't know what he was talking about so I just stayed silent. I turned away from him to look in the mirror to see my reflection, only to find that it wasn't me. I was someone else. She was a small petit girl with smooth pale skin; I would have thought she was the same species as this man if she hadn't looked so fragile and broken. Her brown disheveled hair stopped mid waist, some of it covered her face only showing her deep brown eyes. She showed the fear with those eyes; I felt the bile rise in my throat as I watched her._

_His toe watched nudged my broken leg and I heard a piercing scream. With shock I realized it was mine._

_"Wouldn't you rather have Edward try to find me?" he prompted. I wasn't sure if I knew this Edward but I did know that I loved him. Pain ripped through me as I thought of him; how I'd never be with him again, I knew I was dying for love and I refused to have his life end because some sick man found pleasure in pain._

_"No!" I croaked "No, Edward don't" And then something smashed into my face, throwing me back into the broken mirrors._

I awoke with the pillow in hand, screaming, holding onto it for dear life. Praying to god I wasn't dying in my bed. The pain was still there, my head ached and my leg felt as if it were twisted in a warped angle. I felt my leg, touching the calf up to mid-thigh; no bones were out of place. When I was finally convinced that my leg was still intact I climbed out of bed and headed to the bathroom. I was sobbing hysterically as I closed the bathroom door.

I almost jumped when I saw myself in the reflection. I had expected to see the pale brunette; I ran my hands over my face to make sure I wasn't losing my mind. I checked myself for scratches or any unexpected blood, when I was sure that I was unharmed I searched the cabinet for painkillers. I fumbled with the side of the mirror to pull it from its magnetic hinges. My hands were still shaking as I reached for the Midol; I removed the cap, while placing two pills in my unsteady hand, popping the pills into my mouth while downing it with faucet water.

A knock on the door caused me to drop the small bottle on the cold, hard linoleum.

"Jennifer, sweetie, are you okay?" My dad's voice echoed in my head as he spoke.

"Yeah dad," I tried to reply in a short answer so that he wouldn't hear my voice tremble.

"You want to open the door honey?"

"No, Dad, I'm fine, really." My voice was uncharacteristically high, cracking at the end. He hesitated, waiting; he finally spoke when he understood, "Okay, well if you need anything I'll be asleep in my room."

"Okay." It was only a whisper, but I knew he heard it. I felt the need to be cold so fell to the floor, letting the frost run through me.

After ten minutes of lying on the bathroom floor, I finally decided to return to my room.

I scrambled on my knees as I tried to grasp the door handle; with great effort I finally had the door ajar, quietly pushing the door open so that Peter wouldn't hear me; I was sure that he was still awake listening to see if I was hurt in any way. Finally, after five minutes I reached my room, I closed the door and locked it; fearful Peter would see me in the mess I was in. When I reached my bed I still felt heated and nauseated, I was muddled.

I spent most of the night thinking, deliberating if I was possessed or not. I knew what I felt, and it seemed so real, I thought I was actually dying. My dreams were mostly vague up until tonight. Every blow, touch, or break that happened I felt it, I felt it until it reached the edge of my body and back. But how could something so impossible be able to play out in my mind, maybe I had that fanatical dream due to stress. That had to be it, otherwise I was going insane.

I thought about that and considered it. I was just stressed, that's all.

It was hard to sleep, I feared that if I closed my eyes, then I would see that horrid face again, the volatile creature inching closer trying to take my life. The sadistic look when I cried out in pain. I shivered as I squeezed my eyes shut, frightened to see eyes staring back at me. My eyelids were becoming heavy, making it harder for me to stay up. I refused to sleep, but lost that battle when I blinked, never opening my eyes and succumbing to unconsciousness.


	4. Phantom Pains

I awoke with a mild headache. The light from the window streaked my face. I pulled the covers over my face and felt a slight tugging. "Stop." My voice was muffled by the pillow that I shoved to the side. Another tug, I felt my toes exposed. I smiled when i realize it was just licking my feet. I pushed back the blanket and shoved him to the side with my foot to sit up. He moved closer to nuzzle my leg and then circled a spot to finally lie down. I took that as a welcome back gesture and stroked his fur.

As I tried to kick back the blankets to get up my foot had gotten stuck in the sheets, making it hard for me to stand. It seemed like falling was going to be my new thing this year. When I had finally become able I headed out of my room for the kitchen. I was starving and I swear I could hear my stomach speaking to me. I walked in to find Peter reading the newspaper while drinking a cup of coffee. He was leaning on the counter with his pajamas still on.

I reached the fridge to find something to eat. I could hear the crinkle of the paper as Peter turned the page. I grabbed a bagel and closed the fridge to lean on the door. He cleared his throat; I looked up to find him watching me wearily. I smiled as I took a bite of my bagel, "Late for work?"

He shook his head, "No, took the day off, I thought maybe we could spend some time together. Ya know, since I've been so busy and all." I shrugged."I guess, what do you want to do?" He opened his mouth then closed it as he took a sip of his coffee. He smiled halfheartedly, "I was hoping you had something in mind?" I nodded as I began picking with my bagel. I looked towards the table. I wondered, vaguely, as I stared, when was the last time all three of those seats held each of us at once? My mother, Peter, and I haven't spent time together in three years; ever since my mother decided to move on with her life to travel and work. She hasn't skipped out on us it was more like a vacation for her.

"Gem?" I snapped my head up to find Peter watching me, "Are you okay?" I was confused until I realized what he was referring to: last night. "Yeah, I'm fine." I lied. My voice was higher than usual but I'm sure he believed me. I'm a good liar, when it comes down to it I could lie myself out of anything. He took a deep breath, and then blew into his coffee mug, "Okay." and took a sip. "How about a movie?" he asked bluntly.

"ummm, alright."

"There's this new movie that I think would be pretty cool to see, cause ya know, I thought you might like it."

I smiled at that, "What movie?"

He grabbed the newspaper from the counter and flipped to the entertainment section. "The ugh, Gaudy Gun, it says here that it is an action packed thriller with a whole lot of ummm, action." He chuckled as he set the paper back down. I shook my head, "Okay then, The Gaudy Gun it is."

"What time do you want to go?"

"Well it takes a while to get to Port Angeles from here so whenever you're ready."

"Alright then, just let me finish up here." I finished off my bagel and then headed towards my room to grab items for a shower. I began to look through my drawer when I heard a faint knock. First I looked towards the door only to realize there was no one there; thinking I had imagined it I went back to getting my things together. Another knock, this time it was harder than the last. I knew it couldn't have been my bedroom door so I looked towards the window. I shook my head at the sight. Talin, he was smiling as he pointed to the latch on the window. I grimaced as I went over to let him in.

"hey." He flashed a smile as he climbed through, "ready to go?"

I stared as he jumped down and landed near the edge of my bed, "To go where?"

He frowned, "the beach, remember? I asked you yesterday if you wanted to go." I looked towards the clock to shift my gaze away from him. He crossed his arms, "You forgot didn't you?" he accused. Before I could even defend myself he was in front of the bed room door. "Where are you going, if you're not going with me?" It was meant to sound playful but it came off as arrogance.

"I don't need you around to have friends," I hesitated, "or a life." He sighed as he cracked his knuckles on his left hand. He spoke glumly, "sorry, it was just that I planned for us to hang out today." I waved it off, "don't worry about it." I began to continue my search for clothes as Talin sat quietly on my bed. I could hear him bouncing on it.

"Where are you going?"

"Where are you going?"I could imagine him rolling his eyes at that.

"I asked you first."

"I asked you second." He laughed, "Fine you win. I'm not going anywhere anymore, since you bailed and all." I pretended I didn't hear his last statement and told him my plans.

"Whoa, you're going to see The Gaudy Gun," he paused, "_without_ me." My face shriveled in distaste, it wasn't like I'd go somewhere behind his back. He made it sound so wrong. "You _have_ to let me go." I turned to see his eyes begging pleadingly. My answer was short and curt, "No."

"Awww COME ON!"

"Be quiet!" I whispered as I moved close to him, "Peter doesn't know you're here, remember!"

"Sorry", he stood from my bed and dropped to his knees as he grabbed my hands, "please, please, please! Let me come with you, I haven't seen you in a year. I haven't even had the chance to spend any real time with you," he continued before I could speak, "and don't say us hanging over my house counts because it doesn't." He squeezed his eyes shut as he buried his face in my hands. I could make out footsteps coming down the hall, "Talin!" I whispered hurriedly, "let go before Peter comes!"

His grip tightened, "Not until you say yes."

"It's not up to me I have to ask Peter."

"Then ask him." I could feel him smiling in my hands.

"Okay, okay," I said in defeat, "now leave before he gets here!" He let go of my hands as he rushed to the window, within seconds he was gone.

"This movie is going to be so _awesome_!" Talin said excitedly, Peter had offered to stand in line to buy the tickets since it was a long wait. Talin and I waited by the door. "I've been waiting to see this movie for months ever since it came out; wait til the guys hear I was the first to see it, Quil's gonna –''

"Talin!" He looked baffled, "Shut it, it's just a movie!" he glared as he stared me down, then crossed his arms to begin his questioning. "Whats up?" his face grew serious as he turned to best friend mode. I turned to watch as the line grew longer and longer, wondering will Peter ever get out of it. "_Hello_?" he waved his hand in front of my face, "Earth to Jennifer?" I pushed his hand away. "You haven't been here." It was a random statement that I was unprepared for.

"What?"

"You're," he tapped his fingers against the side of my head, "not here. Not physically but mentally; get it?"

"What are you saying?" he sighed as he stepped closer, "I'm saying, you haven't been yourself lately. Are you okay?" and then he grabbed my hand, "Don't lie," he spoke slowly, "I know you like a book so it wouldn't be any use of trying anyways."

I rolled my eyes as I began to pull away, his grip was firm, "I wasn't going to lie, I just wasn't going to tell you." He pulled me closer as his voice grew low "Are you okay Gem?"

"Yes." I answered too quickly, he sneered, "I told you not to lie Gem." His face was suddenly inches from mine, "You don't have to lie to me." His voice was soft; I could feel his breath brush my skin as he spoke.

"I'm not." It was barely a whisper. He sighed in exasperation, "Why do you have to be so complicated? I'm your best friend; I've known you my whole life." I didn't say anything; from a distance I could see Peter walking in our direction. "Are you mad at me or something? If you didn't want me to come I would have stayed home, you know that." Deciding that I had enough of him I began to meet Peter half way.

The ride home was silent. Talin had offered to drive home so Peter could rest; he was asleep in the passenger seat. I sat in the back, trying to get as far from Talin as the old Honda would allow me to. So far we had gone throughout the whole movie and half the drive home without speaking to each other. That is a record for Talin. I scooted closer towards the front and leaned on the center console.

"I saw him the other day." His eyebrows rose as he realized I was speaking to him, he grinned as he spoke, "Who?"

"Paul." His eyes cut into slits as he stared forward. "And?" he asked with malevolence.

"And," I continued, "He was huge! I thought you were kidding when you said he grew."

He shrugged, "I don't know, It could have been someone else."

"How'd ya figure that?"

"I don't know he just seemed different, like another soul had replaced his and took his body," he smiled, it didn't reach his eyes, "I would have thought he was someone else if I didn't _really_ looked at him." It grew silent again.

"He's an ass."

My face fell, "You didn't think that when you guys were friends."

"Yeah, well, we're not so he's an ass." I shook my head, "What makes you think that?"

He leaned his head back on the head rest; I began to graze my fingers through his scalp. "He has a temper; I mean he's always had a temper before but now its worse." I listened as I ran my fingers over his hair, "He's always angry. Remember when I told you I tried to talk to him, well he snapped on me. I'm saying he just lost it out of nowhere." My fingers paused as I looked to him in concern, "What did you do?" he shook his head, "Nothing, his _friends,_" his voice turned acidic at the word friends, "took him into the woods. I wasn't going to follow them." I nodded my head in agreement. Talin would never back down from a fight, but he'd never go looking for one either.

We had finally arrived at Talin's to drop him off, he was waiting by the car, "Just give me a hug before you go." I sighed out of annoyance and climbed out of the Honda. His long arms wrapped around me. I could smell the burley scent that engulfed his clothes: pine needles and burgers. I smiled, "Still work at the cabin?" I could feel his head nod.

As I tried to slip away his grip tightened. I could feel his head burrow deeper into my shoulder. "I really, really missed you." His voice was soft, quiet. Then he let go.

"_Tell me what you're thinking." He whispered. My brow furrowed in confusion. Whose voice is this? It was sweet and soft with a melodic tune; it was deep and sounded as if it belonged to a man. Afraid to open my eyes I squeezed my eyelids tighter. "Bella?" I slowly, hesitatingly, opened my eyes, surprised to find a bright light cascading down upon me. It was a glow that was yellow and it surrounded the small field. I looked around to find wildflowers covering the ground. It surrounded every inch of the field and I could hear the bubbling of a stream nearby. I smiled as I let the sun shower over my skin. "Bella." I looked to the voice to find something beautiful. _

_**He **__was beautiful; his bronze hair turned burgundy in the sunlight and his skin, white as alabaster, sparkled, like millions of different crystal's had broken into millions of shards to form him as a living being. He lay perfectly still in the grass, his sculpted arms bare from the sleeves pushed up to his for arm, his eyelids closed as he lay still; a perfect statue. I sat there staring wide-eyed at him. I wanted to touch him, to feel his white placid skin. I don't know why but I reached out to feel him, maybe I needed proof that he was a living thing. I glided my hand to examine the contours of his skin. Hesitantly I pointed out a finger to stroke the side of his face. "I don't scare you?" I quickly pulled my hand back; his voice was angelic and light. His eyes were still closed, he smirked_

_I hesitated not knowing how to answer, "No more than usual." I gulped. He smiled wider; his teeth showing in the sun. He raised his free hand and placed it gently on the side of my neck. I sat very still, the chill of his touch a natural warning; a warning that told me I should be terrified. My blood was racing, and I wished I could slow it. The thudding of my pulse in my veins and I was sure he could hear it._

"_The blush on your cheeks is lovely." He sighed. He gently freed his other hand and softly brushed my cheek. "Be very still." He whispered. Slowly he leaned toward me. Then abruptly he rested his cold cheek against my throat. I listened to the sound of his breathing; watching the sun play in his bronze hair. With deliberate slowness his hands slid down from the sides of my neck to my shoulders. His face drifted to the side, his nose trailing along my collarbone, until he came to a stop where my heart was. And then he was gone. I looked around, alarmingly, the meadow to find no sight of the beauty. He was gone, as if he escaped from my grasp. _

_I began to panic as I headed towards the edge of the meadow. I reached the edge only to look back to find nothing. The beautiful meadow I had once laid was gone. The grass was yellow and the wildflowers were gone. The trees around it were leafless and dried out. I couldn't hear the stream anymore and the sun had cast upon the moss with disdain. I began to run, I tried to run as fast as I could but it felt like the world was slowing me down. So I tried harder, and harder; until I ended up on the cliffs of La Push. And then the faintest whisper: "jump."_

Adrenaline was the first thing that woke me to consciousness. I could feel my heart beating rapidly. My t-shirt and shorts drenched in sweat. I sat up in my bed to place my hand over my heart. It was breaking through my ribcage. What kind of dream was that? Who was that guy? It disturbed me so much I didn't want to sleep so I laid in bed awake for the rest of the night; holding onto my heart trying to clutch the pain that made me feel so wounded. I was petrified from the deep emotions that coursed my soul.


	5. Old Bruises

Chapter 4: old bruises

"Rough night?" it was Talin, he was sitting on the earth, playing with the different shells that covered the surface. I shook my head. I was gazing into the ocean, watching as the waves washed onto the shore, turning into white suds. I couldn't stop thinking about that dream. It made me wonder about so many things: who were these people? I, for sure, wasn't this girl and I'm positive I never met that guy. The beautiful man I would call him. With no name, and the girl, I couldn't remember her name. Why do I keep having dreams of her? Is she real or is she something my mind conjured from stress.

"I have something for you." His voice had caught me off guard, "Huh?" he sat up straighter, "I said, I have something for you."

I smiled, "What is it?" he grabbed my hand and placed something in it, it was hard and wet, and I could feel remnants of dirt around it. I opened my hand to find a small rock in the center of my palm. I gasped at the magnificence of the rock. It was a blue that swirled into the colors of grey and then black; it held small minerals that made it sparkle, like small diamonds were ingrained inside. "Wow." I murmured. I look to see him watching the water. He didn't look at me, "So you like it?"

"Of course, it's so, I don't know. It's something I've never seen before."

He laughed quietly to himself, "You say that as if you haven't lived here your whole life." He turned his head sideways; I was only able to make out the outline of his head, "Maybe if you hadn't left in the first place you wouldn't have forgotten the natures of this place."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He shrugged, "I'm just saying if you weren't so all about yourself maybe you would've stayed for others."

I scoffed, "it wasn't like I really had anyone else **but **you."

"Doesn't matter, it was still stupid of you."

I shoved his arm as I moved to stand. "You can be the most inconsiderate idiot I've ever met!" I spat. I turned to walk away, heading further down the beach. I could hear him calling my name, I didn't bother to stop. When I reached the other side of the beach I found an old tree, it was white from the salt water and the branches were twisted in a distorted way. I checked the tree for any living critters, making sure it was safe and then found a sturdy branch to sit on.

I expected him to come after me but he didn't so I was even angrier at him. For a best friend he could be such a jerk. I didn't understand what his attitude was lately but I've had enough. I could hear the scattering of rocks behind me, it wasn't Tal; it was the last person I knew he'd want me to see: Paul. He was standing there in all his glory, staring out into the sea, in a daze. He was huge, he looked to be way over six feet; he was shirtless with a pair of old basketball shorts. His hair was cut short and his face was expressionless. He moved so fast, I didn't think it was possible, to sit on the other end of the tree. I couldn't stop staring at him, his figure was surreal.

We were both silent. I could see him, from the corner of my eye, staring at the sky. I tried, discretely, to find what interest he had in the atmosphere. "It's the blue."

"What?"

His voice was soft, "It's the blue, the sky, it's different for a day like this. You don't normally see a blue sky when it rains."

"Oh," we were both watching the sky now; flocks of birds flying past, some planes soared across. Paul was right, for a day that seemed dreary it was oddly sunny. If you stared out into the water hard enough you could make out a faint rainbow. Its colors were faded as it ran across the sky.

"Why'd you run away from me that day?" I was taken aback from his question, "When?"

"You were at the market and your hood had gotten stuck on Sam's truck. Why'd you run away?"

I lied, "I didn't know it was you." He smirked, "You're lying." I bit my lip at his frankness, "I could tell by the way you looked at me." His face turned to mine, "You don't have to act like you're not afraid of me," He leaned in closer, "Everyone is afraid of me." His brown eyes turned dark.

I just stared as his expression hardened and then slowly fade into a blank stare. "I'm not afraid of you." Another lie, my voice was barely audible; I wondered if he believed me. He shook his head slowly, "you're not afraid."He was speaking to himself, back into his daze. His eyes were distant again, gone into his own world and trapped. I didn't see what Tal was talking about; sitting here with Paul wasn't so bad.

"How's Tal?" my eyebrows rose, "He's okay ... I think." I didn't see fit to tell him about Tal and I's argument we had earlier.

"Hmph," he pressed his lips together as he reached down to grab a rock. He turned the rock over in his hand. "Does he still hate me?" He was casual about it but I could see his muscles tense in his arm, waiting for my reply, "I don't know you have to ask him." I was trying to sound nonchalant. His fist tightened around the rock, "I guess that's a yes."

I shrugged, whatever it was him and Tal have against each other I didn't want to be a part of it. His jaw clenched as he threw the rock, my eyes perked in amazement at the distance it flew.

"You don't like me do you?" I chewed my lip as I began fiddling with my thumbs, "What'd he say to brainwash you? Did he say that I was in a cult? Or did he just say I was body snatching people and making them into followers?" I shook my head, "No, not you, just Sam."

"Huh, so now he's against Sam." My eyes widened a little, "No, it's just that you were his friend and then you just bailed. I think he just see's Sam as a threat."

"For what?" his tone wasn't directed towards me but it was harsh. "I didn't do anything, well not anything I can think of."

"You kind of just disappeared on him,"

He raised his shoulders and let them drop in annoyance, "So did you."

"No." it was said unsure.

"Yes." He grabbed another rock, "You left him just like I did; I don't remember seeing you all last year." He squinted and took a closer look at the rock, "I wonder why he understood when you bailed but not me." He said to himself, he rubbed the rock slowly, "maybe it's because you're so loyal, like a dog." My jaw tightened, "Always following him around because you can't find any friends yourself, kind of irritating. I don't think I could stand it." He looked over to me, his eyes were serious, no hint of playfulness; I could tell that his statement was only meant as a fact. "I can barely take listening to Sam." He said quietly. If I wasn't watching his lips I wouldn't have been able to catch what he said. I exhaled as the tension began to thicken. "You ever wonder why we never spoke?"

My face scrunched in thought; I turned my head to look to the beach, from a distance I could see a small figure walking towards us. I couldn't make out who it was so I tried to squint. I think Paul did though; he perked as he turned his head towards the figure. "I have to go," his voice was tight and his body had small tremors moving through his body. I could feel my gaze turn questioning as he stood with alertness. He glanced back, towards the forest, and then back to the figure; it was getting closer. Whoever it was they were walking quickly. I turned to Paul to find him inching slowly away. His gaze turning hard as he spoke, "nice talking to you, but I think it's time for me to go."

"Where are you go-…"

"What are you doing?" a husky voice spoke, a sneer sitting at the end of each word. I twirled around to find Talin, shoulders tense, staring daggers at Paul. Paul's eyes turned into slits, "I was just leaving."

Talin slowly stepped forward, I quickly stood to stand in his way, "I wasn't speaking to _you_, I was speaking to Jennifer." I could hear the knuckles in Paul's hands crack, as I pressed my back towards Talin's chest. The vein in Paul's forearm was more prominent. I stood there unable to speak; he took a deep breath, "Well then, I'll just be on my way." His voice was callous. He turned but somehow Talin got around me and Paul, blocking his way. He was half the size of Paul but he stood, with his pride and head held high. Paul moved forward, shoving Tal to the side, "Out of my way," it was said under his breath. Tal tripped over to the side grabbing for my arm to catch his balance. Paul stalked away heading for the forest; a rock flew towards the back of his head. A loud thud sounded as the rock hit the back of his head. The rock spilt into the middle and fell in two separate pieces. Paul halted, his body shaking at a fierce pace. "Might as well finish what you started," Tal yelled. Paul slowly twisted around; I wasn't sure, but I could swear I heard an inhumane sound. It slightly reminded me of a growl.

His expression was chilling. His movements were dramatically fierce. Each step was as surprising as the next. You could hardly see him moving, he was in front of Tal within seconds. His knuckles were white as his fist clenched; his teeth ground together as he shook violently. My brow creased in worry, "Tal, maybe we should go."

"No." Paul interjected, "Tal wants a fight, he'll get one." I could see Paul's massive fist rise into the air, he paused, as if he were deliberating, then fall reluctantly to his side, he was literally shaking so hard it was almost hard to see him. He turned his head sideways, as if he could hear someone speaking to him; he nodded his head stiffly. His face was a harsh red, despite his skin tone, from the anger; without a word he spun around and sprinted into the forest.

"Freak." I shot Tal a look. "What's your problem?" he crossed his arms

"What's _my_ problem?" He Held his hand in the direction Paul had disappeared, "What's _his_ problem? He's the one with issues."

I scoffed in amazement as I stared at him, "You're such a jerk."

"No, _Paul_'s a jerk."

I pressed my lips together as I pulled a piece of my hair behind my ear, "You're acting like a child."

His eyebrows rose, "Am I?" I huffed, walking around him in frustration, he grabbed my hand. "Wait! Please," his voice yielding, "don't leave." He rubbed his eyes tiredly with his free hand. I couldn't help but look at him. He was pleading me with his eyes. I averted my gaze to the ground. He pulled my face to look up to him. We were standing there and I was forced to see him. He was drowning me in the pools of his dark brown irises. My heart began to thud against my chest in panic mode. He was slowly, closing the space between us.

"Hey man, you coming to Jake's?" We both jumped. My heart was beating sporadically. Quil was standing there waiting a few feet away, staring questioningly at Tal and I; obviously unknown to his interruption, though I was glad for it. Talin glowered in Quil's direction as he answered with annoyance, "I'll meet you guys over there later,"

"Come on man." Quil groaned, "Jake has this car he's working on and Embry says it's pretty awesome. I bet we can even find some parts for it. Maybe we can go to that junk yard and-…"

"I said I'll meet you guys over there." His eyes flickered to the side slightly, "Actually I have something to do so you just go ahead," Tal frowned, "You sure?" I nodded my head, already, slowly, walking away. Tal's gaze flickered towards my hand, "Okay. I'll see you later?" he was asking permission to see me again. I stuttered as I looked around nervously, "sure." I quickly retreated to the walkway; rewinding the events of the day: Tal and I's argument, Paul and I's run-in and then our close call.

I had one more day before school started and I was spending it cleaning my house. Peter was at work and I decided to stay at home to clean, the house wasn't dirty but it did need a woman's touch. Tal was in school he tried to call but I've been ignoring him. I was a little dazed by our almost kiss. As small as this four mile reservation was, it wasn't that hard to hide from someone. I thought about that, only four miles. How can someone live in a small vicinity of a town for all their life that only held _four miles?_

Thinking about that made me feel claustrophobic. I needed to leave this house before I screamed. I decided I'd go for a walk. I already knew the condition the weather was in so I didn't bother to check. I just grabbed a jacket and headed out the back door. I reached the door and wandered to the yard, stopping to gaze at the house. There was something weird about it. I didn't feel like looking for the answer so I just wandered farther away from the house; inching closer to the forest; stopping only when I reached the tree line. When was the last time I explored these woods? It's been a while I guessed; I walked through the trees pushing the branches out of my way; climbing through the moss as I climbed over the rocks. The dew from the grass soaked the bottoms of my pants. Leaving shoe prints on the rocks.

I didn't know where I was going; all I knew is that I was slowly becoming lost. I didn't stop though, I felt some pull. It was like there was a big compass turning intermittently towards different directions and that I needed to follow. I could've been walking for hours because the sun was setting. Far ahead I could make out a figure. From the distance it looked to be a man. It only took me a second to realize who it was when I got closer, it also made me stop. I retreated behind a tree, surprised by what I had just seen. I hesitantly peeked behind the tree, hoping to find his face. Surprisingly he was standing behind a bush, speaking in a rushed tone. I leaned closer to the tree trying to get a better look at the person, but I couldn't see anyone. All I could make out was some huge animal, for a second I thought I was delusional, I wasn't. He was actually, from what I could see, arguing with an animal; I think Tal was right about Paul.

Paul moved from behind the bush and I couldn't help but turn my head. Seeing Paul naked was not what I wanted to see. I leaned closer into the tree, afraid that he might find me. Getting caught finding someone naked was already awkward enough, not to mention watching them argue with what looked like a huge bear. I could hear a loud crack and a small whimper. The sound of a bone breaking made me think; what if that animal attacked Paul? My eyes widened as i heard loud footsteps on the ground. I was caught; there was no point in hiding it. I stepped from behind the tree to find… nothing. There was exactly nothing, Paul was gone, and so was the huge animal.

And then I heard it, the loudest crack , the sound of a tree splitting in half. The sound of leaves being ravaged was what drew me from behind the tree. They were running at an immediate rate; Paul and his comrade, I wasn't sure who he was, just that he was as bare as Paul was. It only took me a moment for me to register that I needed to follow, or else I'd be stuck here lost in the forest. Although I knew my way in I'd traveled too long to find my way out. I also wanted to know what they were up to. Only barely, able to keep up, falling and tripping on loose branches and thick weeds. somewhere along the pursuit I was beginning to think that they knew I was following them, the way they ran in between the trees, separating themselves from each other; keeping a far enough distance that I wouldn't be able to reach them but also close enough for me to keep up.

I thought I was keeping track with them quite adamantly seeming I wasn't really much in shape; I'd run track once in middle school but quit because even then I wasn't so good. I wasn't surprised when I tripped on a root from an old tree, typical coming from me. My hands reached for security when I landed; it was a hard fall, leaving deep scrapes into my hands; nothing serious, but just enough to leave a scar. I grimaced at the thought of that, the sight of my hands with calluses didn't sound appealing. I quickly went to my feet, reminding myself that I needed to catch up with Paul and his comrade, but when I looked I'd finally gotten a chance to look around they were nowhere to be found. Again! This was frustrating, I breathed out of annoyance, trying to find my position. I figured if my house was the opposite of the direction I was going then I had to end up somewhere, eventually. I looked up to the sky, frowning at the color. Gray. But what really caught my eyes was smoke. Smoke meant people, people meant a way home.

I hastily began to follow the smoke, which led me to an exit. And I couldn't help but yell in victory, startling the birds that sat in the trees nearby. Beyond the trees sat a house, not just any house though, it was a small off white house, a small off white that my grandmother Ivory lived in. I quickly made my way to the door, raising my hand to knock only to have the door swing open. I was met with a pair of hazel eyes. They reminded me of mine except hers were so much grander. "Grandmother Ivory," I startled her when my arms wrapped around her, she laughed, "Oh, if only the animal's were excited about seeing me like you are." I released her and stepped back.

"What brings you by?" I almost told her about my tedious journey through the woods, instead I gave a sly story about how I had nothing better to do and that I missed her. "Well that's nice of you," she began to walk down the front porch steps, "come." She gestured for me to follow. We were heading to an old Toyota, it was green but the paint was peeling so the color looked like a mix between a pale green and an old yellow. "Whose car is this?" I asked, I didn't recall grandmother Ivory owning a Toyota, last time I checked it was a Volkswagen, or was it a Ford, either way this was not her car.

She walked over to the driver's side and shrugged, "got rid of it."

"oh." I climbed inside the car. "Why'd you get rid of it?"

She smiled, remember when you were for my little gem?" she turned toward me, "Do you? When you were four you had a rabbit."

I shook my head, "Yeah, I remember. I named him flowers. We had him until he got sick, mom made me give him away."

"yes and when you gave him away you gave him to someone you believed would take care of him better than you, or at least your mother did. My Gem I gave my car to someone who had better use of it, I could not heal it like they could, so," she grabbed the steering wheel, "I got me a new car." I laughed, "Now, let's go. I want to get to the florist before they close."

The florist was only on the other side of the reservation and the reservation itself was only six miles. It was a small shop that seemed to be the size of my living room, which could only fit six people. The plants and flowers were placed close enough to make the small space seem claustrophobic. I walked around to take a look at the different plants. There were a lot that I don't remember seeing before, which seemed kind of weird since Forks and La Push only had a limited amount of flowers. "Hey," I jumped, startled to see Embry. He was standing by a bushel of flowers I've never seen before. "hey," I said. I was a little shook by his sudden appearance.

"Jennifer, right?"

"I, uh, yeah. You're Talin's friend, Embry." I noticed he had on an apron with dirt smeared on the sides, "You work here?"

"Yeah, I do, my family own the shop. I don't think I'd be here if I didn't."

"oh, of course they do. I forgot."

He smiled, showing a hint of his teeth, "I didn't know you even knew."

I stammered on my reply, "I didn't I just.. my grandmother comes here .. and I.. and I remembered you being here.. I think that was once though."

He laughed at my attempt to explain my situation. It was a nice laugh, though. One that made him look so good, his features standing out, showing all his pearly whites. I never noticed before how attractive Embry was, but then again I barely noticed him at all, or was it the other way around? Embry caught staring to look away shyly, staring around the shop awkwardly. "So do you need help with anything?"

"No, I'm here with my grandmother. She's probably gotten whatever she needs anyways, so I'll just go." I was almost out the door until I heard him call my name, "Jennifer!" I turned to see him standing uncomfortably. He stood there as if he were debating about something, and it looked like he was about to take on his greatest task as he stared at me, I wondered what could he be building up his courage to say "I think she's out back with my mom."

"Okay, thanks." I turned, leaving the shop to go around back to find my grandmother talking with Embry's mom. When they were finished my grandmother made her way to the car as she waved a goodbye.

"Grandmother, what did you get?"

She smiled, she freed one of her hands from the wheel and patted mine, "Little Gem, you need not wonder about what I've been doing, you on the other hand have some explaining to why you were in the forest this afternoon." I tensed as she squeezed my hand, "Don't worry, Peter won't hear about this. You just make sure you don't do it again."

I took a deep breath, "alright."

"Now let's get you home my Gem."


End file.
